Going to College. Holy fu --

[doublereeder]

So -- I know I don't really post much; I never really did, but. I wanted to say this.

 

I joined four years ago as a baby going into high school. That year was very rough for me on a personal level, and if it weren't for Rush, I don't know what would have happened for sure. When I came across TRF, for the first time in a long time, I felt so included. Every Thursday, I would sit in the TRF chat and listen to Gary's radio show with a whole bunch of people. I met so many wonderful friends here, and most of them I still keep in touch with. I have evolved so much as a person; in the most positive ways. Part of that is from befriending some of the people who I have met through here. Now I am leaving to live with a stranger and spend thousands of dollars while chasing another four years of education. Time has passed so quickly (five Rush shows have passed as well, another on the way!), and I can't imagine what my parents are thinking about college coming up seemingly out of nowhere. I still remember my first day of kindergarten very vividly. (That's probably also because I peed my pants.)

 

A lot of you are parents or college alums, any words of encouragement?

 

I just wanted to say thanks for the wonderful years, and the wonderful people I have had the pleasure to get to know. I'm sure I'll still be lurking, but now I'll be worrying about student debts.

 

The best friends are Rush fans.

[drbirdsong]

Glad you got there. College is nothing like what they show you in the movies. You can party until dawn, chase tail, drink until you puke and have several cinematic moments, but in the end you have to go to class. I didn't go to college until I was 34. I wasn't ready until I was older so I would offer this advice: They say youth is wasted on the young. Prove them wrong.

[vital signz]

My advice?

 

Don't f**k up. Don't ever let yourself get into a hole. Once the grades fall, getting them up takes twice the work.

 

College is too expensive to have to prolong because you haven't really given your future enough thought. You probably know your strengths and weaknesses fairly well so try to find that major sooner rather than later. Going a lot of extra semesters adds huge$$$$ to your debt, or your parents' debt, so get good grades the first time and work hard.

 

Make friends that do not weigh you down or suck your energy out of you. Pick people to befriend that you admire.

 

Talk to your professors and spend time getting to know them. They can be not only an invaluable source of education for you, but life-lessons, connections, and mentoring.

 

NEVER EVER drink alcohol before going to afternoon/evening class or heavily the night before exams. The reason? It impacts your brain cells so you absolutely cannot perform well. The result is no different mentally than it is physically, i.e., driving.

 

Best of luck to you pal!

 

 

[circumstantial tree]

When I left high school, the song "Turn the Page" became my mantra and song regarding out with the old and in with the new.

 

My high school class is celebrating it's 25 year reunion in October. Wish I could be there.

 

What college are you going to and what is your planned major?

 

I took some courses at NC State during the summer once. Despite what you might think, summer courses are more fun somehow than during the semester.

[apetersvt]

Rush was a major part of my high school experience as well. I worked a LOT in high school (although considered part time, I usually got over 40 hours a week). So, I didn't have much of a social life and felt like somewhat of an outcast. I did have some really good close friends, but we certainly weren't part of the 'in crowd'.

 

Fast forward to college. I didn't have a job while in school so I had plenty of time for a social life. Going to a large public school, there aren't really any 'in crowds' because there are so many people. So it was fairly easy for me to find a lot of people that I fit in with. A majority of my closest friends today are those that I met in college. It probably was the best 4 years of my life. I wish I could do it all again.

 

Vital Signz made an excellent point about getting to know your professors. They are there for you. My experience was that the relationship between student and professor is one between two adults (as long as you act like one) as opposed to high school where I didn't feel that. I ended up giving guitar lessons to my Analytical Chemistry professor.

 

Good luck.

 

Go Hokies!!!

[-D-RocK-]

Just live these seven words:

 

"Have a good time ALL the time."

[Principled Man]

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Aug 25 2012, 01:51 AM)

I didn't go to college until I was 34. I wasn't ready until I was older so I would offer this advice: They say youth is wasted on the young. Prove them wrong.

^^^^THIS.

 

I first went to university when I was 17. All I cared about was getting stoned. Bombed out after 2.5 miserable years. 13 years later, I went back to university and finally became an educated man. Best thing I ever did. Learning about the world and how it works, learning about human beings and how they work, living in other countries, and above all, learning about MYSELF and how I work.....

 

Do NOT miss out on this opportunity. Study hard, and apply what you've learned. Do not take it for granted.

 

[Good,bad,andrush]

I'm a college freshman as well

 

Loving it so far. I'm not really the kind to drink or smoke, and I love learning so I think I'll do good

[Tinwoodsman]

Best of luck always!

[doublereeder]

Thanks, guys! I learned the hard way the last year of high school (took some college level classes, including physics!) you have to have just the right mixture of fun and studying. College has a different element of freedom, but I plan on sticking to the same principles.

 

It's been a goal of mine to prove that my generation isn't just wasted youth, so I'll be spending four years as a drama major. And WOO to the fellow freshmen. WOO!

 

P.S. Don't worry, my fallback plan is to teach speech or some kind of theatrical course. My parents about had a heart attack when they found out I was going for a liberal arts school.

 

I'll keep those interested posted.

 

[JohnnyBlaze]

QUOTE (doublereeder @ Aug 26 2012, 03:56 PM)

P.S. Don't worry, my fallback plan is to teach speech or some kind of theatrical course. My parents about had a heart attack when they found out I was going for a liberal arts school.

Well, that's probably just 1 of several near heart attacks that you'll give your parents in the next few years. At least it shows that they're interested/concerned about your future.

 

Break a leg out there man!

[Tombstone Mountain]

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Aug 25 2012, 01:51 AM)

Glad you got there. College is nothing like what they show you in the movies. You can party until dawn, chase tail, drink until you puke and have several cinematic moments, but in the end you have to go to class. I didn't go to college until I was 34. I wasn't ready until I was older so I would offer this advice: They say youth is wasted on the young. Prove them wrong.

Nice man

[Ya_Big_Tree]

You'll do fine Allycat. Just be smart abd have a good time.

Remember it's ok to make mistakes, just don't make too many life changing ones just yet.

 

[treeduck]

Old??

 

Just wait till you get to Chrissie Big Tree's age!!

[Ya_Big_Tree]

QUOTE (treeduck @ Aug 26 2012, 11:32 AM)

Old?? Just wait till you get to Chrissie Big Tree's age!!

Thanks Ducky. I know I'm getting Long in the tooth.

 

:/

[Tarkus406]

QUOTE (Good,bad,andrush @ Aug 25 2012, 10:51 PM)

I'm a college freshman as well Loving it so far. I'm not really the kind to drink or smoke, and I love learning so I think I'll do good

You think you'll do well. Psh sheesh, go to school!

 

 

Don't waste your youth, Reeds, college is a great opportunity. Just think of the future and how much will be open to you once you're done with the hard stuff. I graduated high school in 2007 and decided to go to community college right away. Made it 2 semesters, then I got a job. Something in my head said "hey it'll be awesome to work more and go to school less! MORE MONEY! " So I was like "f**k YEAH LET's DO IT!"

 

Big mistake.

 

Sure, I made lots of money, some of which I still have socked away, but here I am just turned 23 and don't even have a two-year degree to speak of. Since then I've moved to a new state, gotten a new job as a Tool & Die design engineer (how I pulled that off, I have no idea...), and returned to community college to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I hope to really take off with that some day. Hopefully after I have my Associate's under my belt, I'll be able to get a better job with a higher income and be able to fully finance the education needed to complete a Bachelor's degree. However, because of my past decisions, I'm forced to take these actions in very small bites. I have a full time job to consider and a marraige in the works, which will include an impending home purchase and family. Who knows how I'll pay for it all, or if will even be able to.

 

Don't get yourself into that situation, just get it over with now, while Mommy & Daddy are footing the bill! I've lost that, but I was a dumbass

 

I wish the best of luck to you, buddy! Show us your shiny new degree in 4 years and make us proud.

[That One Guy]

Nice miniature life story!

 

I'm a sophomore college student, a year ahead of you. It's funny how much stuff has changed in the last two years for me. I've had to give up some friendships, some life habits, and generally grow up.

 

But school has made me happier, i've still got some things to change, and hopefully in 3-4 years ill have a good starting salary in the field i love.

 

Enjoy college! Meet as many people as you can, and indulge yourself in the knowledge.

 

Looking for some Rush songs to relate this time in your life to? Time Stand Still? I'm sure there's others

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (doublereeder @ Aug 24 2012, 11:26 PM)

So -- I know I don't really post much; I never really did, but. I wanted to say this. I joined four years ago as a baby going into high school. That year was very rough for me on a personal level, and if it weren't for Rush, I don't know what would have happened for sure. When I came across TRF, for the first time in a long time, I felt so included. Every Thursday, I would sit in the TRF chat and listen to Gary's radio show with a whole bunch of people. I met so many wonderful friends here, and most of them I still keep in touch with. I have evolved so much as a person; in the most positive ways. Part of that is from befriending some of the people who I have met through here. Now I am leaving to live with a stranger and spend thousands of dollars while chasing another four years of education. Time has passed so quickly (five Rush shows have passed as well, another on the way!), and I can't imagine what my parents are thinking about college coming up seemingly out of nowhere. I still remember my first day of kindergarten very vividly. (That's probably also because I peed my pants.) A lot of you are parents or college alums, any words of encouragement? I just wanted to say thanks for the wonderful years, and the wonderful people I have had the pleasure to get to know. I'm sure I'll still be lurking, but now I'll be worrying about student debts. The best friends are Rush fans.

Good luck, Ally!

[Babycat]

QUOTE (doublereeder @ Aug 25 2012, 07:26 AM)

So -- I know I don't really post much; I never really did, but. I wanted to say this. I joined four years ago as a baby going into high school. That year was very rough for me on a personal level, and if it weren't for Rush, I don't know what would have happened for sure. When I came across TRF, for the first time in a long time, I felt so included. Every Thursday, I would sit in the TRF chat and listen to Gary's radio show with a whole bunch of people. I met so many wonderful friends here, and most of them I still keep in touch with. I have evolved so much as a person; in the most positive ways. Part of that is from befriending some of the people who I have met through here. Now I am leaving to live with a stranger and spend thousands of dollars while chasing another four years of education. Time has passed so quickly (five Rush shows have passed as well, another on the way!), and I can't imagine what my parents are thinking about college coming up seemingly out of nowhere. I still remember my first day of kindergarten very vividly. (That's probably also because I peed my pants.) A lot of you are parents or college alums, any words of encouragement? I just wanted to say thanks for the wonderful years, and the wonderful people I have had the pleasure to get to know. I'm sure I'll still be lurking, but now I'll be worrying about student debts. The best friends are Rush fans.

Good luck!

[Good,bad,andrush]

QUOTE (Tarkus406 @ Aug 26 2012, 10:21 PM)

QUOTE (Good @ bad,andrush,Aug 25 2012, 10:51 PM) I'm a college freshman as well  Loving it so far. I'm not really the kind to drink or smoke, and I love learning so I think I'll do good You think you'll do well. Psh sheesh, go to school!     Don't waste your youth, Reeds, college is a great opportunity. Just think of the future and how much will be open to you once you're done with the hard stuff. I graduated high school in 2007 and decided to go to community college right away. Made it 2 semesters, then I got a job. Something in my head said "hey it'll be awesome to work more and go to school less! MORE MONEY! " So I was like "f**k YEAH LET's DO IT!"   Big mistake.   Sure, I made lots of money, some of which I still have socked away, but here I am just turned 23 and don't even have a two-year degree to speak of. Since then I've moved to a new state, gotten a new job as a Tool & Die design engineer (how I pulled that off, I have no idea...), and returned to community college to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I hope to really take off with that some day. Hopefully after I have my Associate's under my belt, I'll be able to get a better job with a higher income and be able to fully finance the education needed to complete a Bachelor's degree. However, because of my past decisions, I'm forced to take these actions in very small bites. I have a full time job to consider and a marraige in the works, which will include an impending home purchase and family. Who knows how I'll pay for it all, or if will even be able to.   Don't get yourself into that situation, just get it over with now, while Mommy & Daddy are footing the bill! I've lost that, but I was a dumbass   I wish the best of luck to you, buddy! Show us your shiny new degree in 4 years and make us proud. Psh Bad habit And I always correct people when they say good instead of well

[JohnnyBlaze]

QUOTE (Tarkus406 @ Aug 27 2012, 12:21 PM)

QUOTE (Good @ bad,andrush,Aug 25 2012, 10:51 PM) I'm a college freshman as well  Loving it so far. I'm not really the kind to drink or smoke, and I love learning so I think I'll do good You think you'll do well. Psh sheesh, go to school!     Don't waste your youth, Reeds, college is a great opportunity. Just think of the future and how much will be open to you once you're done with the hard stuff. I graduated high school in 2007 and decided to go to community college right away. Made it 2 semesters, then I got a job. Something in my head said "hey it'll be awesome to work more and go to school less! MORE MONEY! " So I was like "f**k YEAH LET's DO IT!"   Big mistake.   Sure, I made lots of money, some of which I still have socked away, but here I am just turned 23 and don't even have a two-year degree to speak of. Since then I've moved to a new state, gotten a new job as a Tool & Die design engineer (how I pulled that off, I have no idea...), and returned to community college to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I hope to really take off with that some day. Hopefully after I have my Associate's under my belt, I'll be able to get a better job with a higher income and be able to fully finance the education needed to complete a Bachelor's degree. However, because of my past decisions, I'm forced to take these actions in very small bites. I have a full time job to consider and a marraige in the works, which will include an impending home purchase and family. Who knows how I'll pay for it all, or if will even be able to.   Don't get yourself into that situation, just get it over with now, while Mommy & Daddy are footing the bill! I've lost that, but I was a dumbass   I wish the best of luck to you, buddy! Show us your shiny new degree in 4 years and make us proud. I see your point. However, if it hadn't been for your "big mistake" you probably wouldn't be where you are now and you possibly wouldn't be engaged.

[Union 5-3992]

Yeah man, I just started my Freshman year too. So far I've completely avoided alcohol (I got a bad heart to keep me away too) and other bad habits like that . I have yet to be assigned any work but I'm mentally preparing myself to seclude myself from the world by reading a lot. I spent about 5 hours reading about Nikola Tesla on Saturday, and about 3 on a Stephen King book today . I plan to continue late into the night. A nice advantage I have is having no class before 10am, and having only an hour lecture on Teusdays & Thurdsays. I see how much money is going into this and I want be sure that it is well spent. I will work as hard as I can and not piss this away.

 

If you want to chat sometime, I'm up for it. I've made quite a few friends here too. One that's now one of my best friends.

[Good,bad,andrush]

QUOTE (Union 5-3992 @ Aug 28 2012, 07:47 PM)

Yeah man, I just started my Freshman year too. So far I've completely avoided alcohol (I got a bad heart to keep me away too) and other bad habits like that . I have yet to be assigned any work but I'm mentally preparing myself to seclude myself from the world by reading a lot. I spent about 5 hours reading about Nikola Tesla on Saturday, and about 3 on a Stephen King book today . I plan to continue late into the night. A nice advantage I have is having no class before 10am, and having only an hour lecture on Teusdays & Thurdsays. I see how much money is going into this and I want be sure that it is well spent. I will work as hard as I can and not piss this away. If you want to chat sometime, I'm up for it. I've made quite a few friends here too. One that's now one of my best friends.

I'm down for some talking as well, so pm me if you guys would like

I'm a bit busy but I like the idea of online connections, especially with other college freshmen

[apetersvt]

QUOTE (Union 5-3992 @ Aug 28 2012, 07:47 PM)

Yeah man, I just started my Freshman year too. So far I've completely avoided alcohol (I got a bad heart to keep me away too) and other bad habits like that . I have yet to be assigned any work but I'm mentally preparing myself to seclude myself from the world by reading a lot. I spent about 5 hours reading about Nikola Tesla on Saturday, and about 3 on a Stephen King book today . I plan to continue late into the night. A nice advantage I have is having no class before 10am, and having only an hour lecture on Teusdays & Thurdsays. I see how much money is going into this and I want be sure that it is well spent. I will work as hard as I can and not piss this away. If you want to chat sometime, I'm up for it. I've made quite a few friends here too. One that's now one of my best friends.

Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and are 'mentally setup' to succeed. Just don't seclude yourself too much and make sure you don't focus 100% on schoolwork. Be sure to develop your social skills as well.

 

Good luck.

 

-ps, The Tesla info sounds facinating. What specifically, did you read about?

[Union 5-3992]

QUOTE (apetersvt @ Aug 29 2012, 02:52 PM)

QUOTE (Union 5-3992 @ Aug 28 2012, 07:47 PM) Yeah man, I just started my Freshman year too. So far I've completely avoided alcohol (I got a bad heart to keep me away too) and other bad habits like that  . I have yet to be assigned any work but I'm mentally preparing myself to seclude myself from the world by reading a lot. I spent about 5 hours reading about Nikola Tesla on Saturday, and about 3 on a Stephen King book today . I plan to continue late into the night. A nice advantage I have is having no class before 10am, and having only an hour lecture on Teusdays & Thurdsays. I see how much money is going into this and I want be sure that it is well spent. I will work as hard as I can and not piss this away. If you want to chat sometime, I'm up for it. I've made quite a few friends here too. One that's now one of my best friends. Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and are 'mentally setup' to succeed. Just don't seclude yourself too much and make sure you don't focus 100% on schoolwork. Be sure to develop your social skills as well.   Good luck.   -ps, The Tesla info sounds facinating. What specifically, did you read about? Mostly a biography. I was reading mostly about his life during the 1890's that day. It was about his relationships with others, his work habits then, his lab fire, and harnessing the power of Niagara Falls (I'm at the University At Buffalo too , but I started the book ages ago, just never picked it up again until now).     Though I do feel quite a bit of anxiety so far. A lot of things I knew from public school are completely wrong compared to what I'm supposed to know here. My English teachers did little to prepare me for academic level writing. I'm still on a tenth grade level. I'm going to push myself to write a more college level paper tonight & tomorrow. It's 2 pages but the guy is so anal over it, I don't want him shitting all over my paper.